Tompkins Cottage, circa 1820

Tompkins Cottage, circa 1820. . , The Tompkins Cottage, a weatherboard-clad structure, is one of the oldest standing buildings in the Mathews Downtown Historic District. Architectural historians surmise it was erected in two building campaigns. The oldest portion, which has been dated by dendrochronology to circa 1820, has undergone little alteration and consists of a large heated room with a shed extension to the rear. In 1856, a story and a half addition with chimney and a shed extension was completed. The overhead unheated room was accessible by means of the original stairway. Although it is uncertain who built the building, court records indicate that in 1837, Colonel Christopher Tompkins bought the quarter-acre lot on which this structure stands., The Mathews County Historical Society, Inc., a nonprofit organization, has been leasing the Tompkins Cottage, a county-owned building, since 1969. Over time, it has served as a tailor shop, photography studio and private residence. Today, the Tompkins Cottage is used as a local history museum and interpretive facility., The Tompkins Cottage is registered as a Virginia Historic Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior., (captions) , Front room in the circa 1820 section has undergone little alteration over the years. , Early lock on one of the original doors in the circa 1820 building. , Frederick Theodore Miller, a photographer, and his family lived in the cottage during the early 20th century. , A coat belonging to Captain Sally L. Tompkins, CSA, is displayed in the shed room of the circa 1856 addition. , Colonel Christopher Tompkins, first recorded owner of the property, was a wealthy mariner, prominent local planter and merchant.